Desktop and portable computer systems often include graphics processing capabilities, for example, with a graphics processing unit (GPU) built into a motherboard chipset. Often, however, such systems allow for upgrades through the addition of a graphics card that typically has a GPU with more powerful processing capabilities than the motherboard GPU.
Drivers are available to offload graphics processing tasks to the graphics card GPU, when present. In a typical system, as long as the graphics card is installed, it will be powered on and functioning even in the absence of a graphics processing load that would gain significant benefit by offloading to the graphics card for processing.
Unfortunately, due to the high number of gates and high speed operation of complex GPUs, graphics cards consume a significant amount of power and generate a significant amount of heat. Further, to help manage the heat, graphics cards often have thermal solutions (e.g., relatively powerful fans) that generate a significant amount of noise.
While simply powering off a graphics card would reduce power consumption, heat and noise generation, relative long boot processes required on power up (e.g., when a complex graphics processing load is present) make this solution unattractive. Further, certain functionality of the graphics card (such as display detection) might also be lost if the entire card was powered down.
Therefore, solutions are needed that would help reduce the significant amount of power consumption, heat, and/or noise generated by graphics cards without unreasonable sacrifices in performance and/or functionality.